Olympians, Past Students Overwhelmed by Homecoming Reception

Beijing Olympians, Melaine Walker, Kerron Stewart, and Olivia McKoy, were overwhelmed by the warm welcome they received from the staff and students of their alma mater, St. Jago High School in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, during a homecoming reception held in their honour at the institution on October 10, which moved the trio to tears.
Walker, the Women’s Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion; Stewart, who copped silver and bronze medals in the Women’s 100m and 200m respectively, and Olivia McKoy, who participated in the Women’s Javelin event, are among nine past students of the Monk Street-based institution, who represented Jamaica at the Beijing Olympic Games in China in August. The others are: Women’s 110m hurdles finalist, Delloreen Ennis-London; Women’s 800m finalist, Kenia Sinclair; high hurdler, Andrea Bliss; Women’s 3000-metre steeplechase entrant, Korine Hinds; Men’s sprint relay gold medalist, Marvin Anderson; and Men’s 400m hurdles finalist, Markino Buckley.
Amidst the tributes they received, much to the delight of the exuberant staff and students, tears were seen streaming down the faces of Stewart, Walker, and McKoy, indicative of how overcome they were by the reception.
During a brief ceremony at the school, Walker and Stewart were presented with the symbolic keys to the city by Spanish Town Mayor, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, while the other athletes received commemorative plaques. Two other past students, Olympian Bertland Cameron, and sports statistician, Hubert Lawrence, were presented with citations.
Principal of St. Jago, Sandra Swire-Walters said it was interesting to see the responses from the athletes.
“I never expected Kerron to cry. Kerron has been so calm and controlled, even through school. Kerron never got angry or shouted. Melaine was always emotional and funny, but not Kerron and I saw Kerron cry today. Olivia was always very emotional, so that was not unusual. But I didn’t get close enough to the boys at that time to see (their responses),” she said.
Melaine Walker told JIS News she was totally overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from the school community. “I didn’t know that I was that weak; it’s tears of joy. I didn’t know I would feel like this, it’s exciting, so much fun, I couldn’t help crying. It’s just the love that I was feeling. I’m overwhelmed,” she said.
She hailed former school coach, Raymond ‘KC’ Graham, for establishing the foundation for the athletes, and current coach, Stephen Francis, for guiding and enabling her to perform at her best, citing their hard work as the catalyst which spurred the athletes’ success in Beijing.
All the athletes who spoke encouraged the students to follow their dreams and work hard at realizing them.
Hubert Lawrence said the recognition bestowed on him was like an “out of body” experience, describing it as being “very flattering.”
“I can hardly put in words, what I feel. And that is weird, because I talk for a living; but it is really very nice. St Jago is very important to Jamaica, and to be included in their list of honourees today is very special for me,” he told JIS News.
The homecoming celebration was a collaborative effort involving St. Jago, the St. Catherine Parish Council, and the National Commercial Bank Foundation.